To all whom



@geiten @fitug I RICHARD 'BEEM, .OF ANTRIM, OHIO. f

Line-8 Patent No. teologi-metz Api-fz 14, 186s.

IMPROVED RAT-TRAP.

TO ALL WHOM I-T MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, RICHARD BEEM, of Antrim, in the county of Guernsey, and in the State .of Ohio, have invented c'ertain new and useful Improvements in Traps for Rats and other animals; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in asimple and effective combination of springs and-trigger, to produce a rat or animal-trap which will beself-setting. In the drawings-f Figure 1 is a top view of the trap in the position it occupies when ready -for action. g

{Figure 2 is an end elevation ofthe trap, viewed from the end, marked A in iig. 1, and shows in dotted lines the trigger as it is when the trap is setf A Figure 3 is a cross-section through the trap and its main-spring, viewed from side A in iig. 1. The dotted lin'es represent the trigger. which is'on the farther side of the main-spring from the beholder'. I

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe its construction andoperation. A r

The body of the trap, A A', Iig.. 1, is made of aboard, about an inch and a half thick, and six or more inches square. A circular hole is madein its centre, extending clear through the board,`and of suiicient size to admit a-spring, similar' to the main-spring of a common clock when it isunwound. The spring B is fastened to shaft E by its inner end, and to the body A A by its outer end, when thc spring and shaft are put into their place in the circular hole. The lower end of shaft-E has its bearing on block or plate e, audits upper vbearing in plate e. Plates c and are firmly secured to body A A. There is an arm, F, secured to the upper end of shaft E as it projects above the surface of the trap a short distance. Arin F is divided, as shown in iig.3,into two other arms, ff', each having one ofits edges serrated, as may be seen in iig. 1. Armfhas asmallknob, t',on its outer end, with which to turn or wind the main-spring up. Arm f has a little catch, e,on its under side, near its outer end, which catches against the trigger,-T, as it'reachcs up throughits guicle,/G,which is secured on thc top of the trap. The lower endof trigger T is pivoted'at t to lever L, -which'is pivoted at Z, and the other end oflever L terminates in an upright arm,n, to which the bait is secured.` This end of the lever isheavier than the one to' which the trigger is attached, and thus bears up the triggerT into .its proper position. A suitablesized hole is cut in the body A -A from the top side almost through, up through which arm u projects. A slot or hole is also made in the underside of body A, leading from the bait-arm -1t to trigger T, in which lever L works. A sliding bottom, a, (seefigs. 2 and 3) made of wood or sheet meta-l, isvprovided, to cover up the internal arrangements, and keep them in'better security. v i A I provide a spring, I, which is'equal in length to one-fourth of the space gone over by t'he outer end of arm F, and fix one end of it on the top side of the body at A; the other end terminates a short distance before it reaches trigger T, and somewhat higher than it, by reason of its having slight elevation given it by bending it at or nea-r the point where it is secured, thus forming on its uppersurface an inclined plane. This spring I should bevery stiff, so that arm F will be retardada good deal in passing over it, so that when the arm F leaves spring I, its accelerated velocity will not aid the strength of main-spring B when catch c of annif/strikes the trigger T, as otherwise the trigger might probably be broken or knocked out of position.

To operate my invention, I take hold of knob z' and turn the arm F in t-he'dircction of its side opposed to its serrated edge, passing in its course trigger T first, and then over spring I, and so on till spring B is wound as tight as possible. The catch c of arm F is then allowed to catch against trigger T, and the bait having been put on arm n of lever L, the trap is setf The rat or other animal on biting thc bait, pulls arm at, and with it the end of lever L, between pivot fand arm 1t,upwards, and of course depressing the opposite end of lever L, and i with it trigger T, and that releases catch c, freeing arm F, which is revolved with shaft E by main-spring B. The arm F swings swiftly around, with its serrated edge towards and over the bait on arm n, destroys the creature at the bait, and, at the same time, knocks the creature off the trap, then strikes spring I, and the fric;

tion caused by sliding. over spring I deprives it of some ot its power, and, on sliding offspring I, is readily held by its catch, c, at trigger T, and thus the tmp is reset.

v The advantage of my invention over the other improvements in `this class vof' inventions is sufciently obvious when Aits extreme simplicity of. construction is seen to be only equolied by its ingenuity for effecting the desired object of destroying many crenturestby preparing the trap but once, as well as from its perfect security from 'the disarra'ngement of its working abilities.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Potent, is-

1. Arm F, with its serrated lermsf andf, catch c, and knob z', in combination with main-spring B and shaft E, when constructed andoperntng substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth. Y

2. Spring I, when constructed and operatingsubstantiolly in the manner und for thelpurposes set forth.-

3. Trigger' T, with its guide G, when constructed and operating ivithlevor L and bait-arm 11substnntinlly in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

4. Arm F, shaft E, spring B, when constructed and operating in' combination \vth springI, trigger T, guide G,1cver Il, bait-arm n, body A A', and bottom a, substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim tbe above-described invention, I have hereunto signed my nhme, this 26th day of November, 1867.

t t RICHARD BEER/I.

Witnesses:

J. 'Bov'roN, JESSE Coon. 

